The franchising concept seems straightforward — executives in home offices know from experience what works, and franchisees carry out those strategies in their own stores. But Great Harvest Bread, an emerging brand in the bakery-café segment, does things differently.
Rejecting the idea of cookie-cutter franchises is one reason the brand enjoys so much success, said Debbie Huber, director of development for Great Harvest.
"The key is being allowed to put your own personal spin on it," Huber said. "The franchise behind them has the systems, has the tools and practices, but they can tweak it in their market and make it very authentic – they can have the best of both worlds."
Great Harvest’s distinctive franchising strategy means each store has its own unique daily menu, even recipes and ingredients specific to that individual location.
Franchisees have freedom and are encouraged to try new things and use what works for their individual market. Many times, different franchises share ideas through Great Harvest’s learning network, which includes "The Breadboard," an online resource for franchisees to communicate with each other.
It’s an approach unique to Great Harvest, and one that’s being recognized in the restaurant industry. The brand has been featured in publications like U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, and BusinessWeek for its democratic, unstructured franchise system.
"There are 200 bakeries out there, trying these things every day and learning from the results. You can take the things that work, tweak them for your market, and the learning is much faster that way," Huber said. "That is a key component to making our system work."
Passionate people, organic ingredients
That no-formula system is one thing that attracts hopeful franchisees to Great Harvest, said Barbara Kaiser. She and her husband, Steve, have owned the store in Rockford, Ill., for 12 years and enjoy the freedom of deciding what they serve to their customers.
"On a day-to-day basis we are free to use our own menus," Kaiser said. "We absolutely have freedom to change the recipes, so the nice thing is that we each are able to cater our items to our customers."
Kaiser believes those customers keep coming back because Great Harvest, one of
Entrepreneur magazine’s "Top 500 Franchises," is the only place they can get bread made fresh daily.
"We’re the only scratch bakery in town," she says. "It’s a quick world, and everyone wants shortcuts, but with us there’s no funny stuff and no preservatives."
Undeniably, selling products made from wheat ground fresh in every store, every day, is a cornerstone of Great Harvest’s business model, and one that makes them proud.
"We don’t use artificial ingredients to help extend shelf-life," said Mike Ferretti, Great Harvest’s president and CEO. "No other chain does that."
And that fresh-made philosophy gives the branch an edge.
"We’ve got a unique place in the market," Ferretti said. "We’re the largest national whole-wheat focused concept, and that allows us a brand equity no one else has. We do our niche really well, and that niche is homemade products every day."
Room to grow
Not only has Great Harvest cornered the market when it comes to fresh, original bread, but the chain’s locations also feature sandwich menus, Wi-Fi and cozy tables, all of which give the stores a twinge of a café feeling.
Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Technomic Information Services, said Great
Harvest could easily capitalize on that coffeehouse ambiance.
"Great Harvest tends to be more retail than restaurant," Tristano said. "But if they
wanted to focus more on the café part, they really have an opportunity."
However, Tristano doesn’t deny the appeal of fresh, authentic foods, or Great Harvest’s original approach to franchising. "They’re definitely looking for people with passion," he said.
And those people bring their individual passion to each Great Harvest location, making the customer experience their main concern.
Decorated with wooden floors and tables, chalkboard menus and shelves stocked with the
oats that become their signature breads, Great Harvest boasts a natural, authentic atmosphere distinct among its fast-casual counterparts. It’s a place and a staff that feels more small-town shop than trendy coffeehouse.
"We truly do want Great Harvest to be a place that feels like grandma’s kitchen," Ferretti said. "For you to walk into a bakery with people who are happy and smiling, and who are doing things genuinely, not because some guy in an office in Montana told them to."
